Improvement in casting car-wheels



UNITED I STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

WILLIAM A. MILES, OF COPAKE IRON WORKS, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN CASTING CAR-WHEELS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 156,255, dated October27, i874; application filed;

July 16, 1874.

CASE A.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. MILEs, of Oopake Iron Works, Columbiacounty, in the State of New York, have made certain new and usefulImprovements in Casting Oar-Wheels; and I hereby declare the followingto be a full and clear description thereof.

This invention relates to an improved mode and apparatus for castingcar-wheels, by means of which the central part of the wheel may becomposed of cast-iron, and the outer portion or tread of cast-steel orsome other suitable harder metal.

Different means have heretofore been employed for this purpose with moreor less success; and my invention has for its object more particularlythe accomplishment of this result, in such a manner that the outerportion or tread of steel or hard iron will be perfectly welded or fusedto the central portion of soft iron. This I do by pouring the inner orsofter metal at the same time that the metal for the outer portion oftread of the wheel is being poured, the metal for such outer portionbeing steel or hard iron, and I so arrange the flask in which thecasting is made that the two metals are kept separate until the pouringis completed, and are then immediately brought in contact with eachother, and perfectly fused or welded together, this result beingaccomplished by means of the peculiar construction of the cores forforming the openings in the wheel, the same being made in two parts, oneof which is movable and the other stationary, as I will now proceed todescribe, making reference to the accompanying drawings, which form apart of this specification, in which drawings- Figure 1 is a perspectiveview of my improved flask for casting car-wheels. Fig. 2 is a verticalcross-section of the same through the lines a a. Fig. 3 is a top view ofthe same. Fig. 4 is a top view, with the upper portion having the gatesfor feeding the steel or hard metal, and the central cope removed. Fig.5 is the same as Fig. 4, with the lower'movable portion of the flask andthe cores turned into position for commencing to flow. Fig. 6 representsthe construction of wheel as it appears when cast.

A'is the body of the flask, upon the topof which is placed the circularframe B, which has a trough or runner passing around its entirecircumference, leading from which are the gates c 0, through which thesteel or hard metal is poured for the outer portion or tread of thewheel. 0 is the central cope, having a gate, d, by means of which theiron is poured for the central part of the wheel. In the top portion ofthe flask or outer cope I place sprues or risers e e. D D are the cores,made in two pieces, one of which is fastened to the main or outerportion of the bottom of the flask, which is stationary, and the otherhalf of each core is fastened to the inner part of, the dreg or bottomof the flask, which inner portion has a circular movement. These cores DD, which pass vertically through the mold, are made elliptical insection, and their greatest diameter being equal to the distance betweeneach core the outer portion of the flask or mold, into which the metalfor the tread of the wheel is poured, will be separated from the innerportion by turning the central part of the dreg or, bottom, by means ofthe handle E, a sufficient distance to accomplish this purpose. I alsofasten the central cope G to the inner halves of the cores, so that itwill move with them and the central part of the dreg.

Around the outer portion of the flask I sometimes place pipes for thepassage of warm water, so as to partially heat the chill before pouring,or to temper the sand, and in the body of the central cope and centralpart of the dreg or bottom I also place pipes, which have outlets f andinlets g g, so that a stream of cold water may be passed through them,and help to cool the central part of the casting.

The entire flask and cores are made of metal, and protected from theaction of the hot iron by clay-wash or core-sand.

In order to cast a wheel in my improved flask, and give to such wheelthe necessary toughness and strength, the following opeiation isfollowed: The mold having been first prepared, the flask is arrangedwith the spLt cores D D turned so that their halves alternate, and thuscut off all communication be tween the central part of the mold and theouter circumference with which the gates c 0 connect, as shown in Fig.5. The pouring of the hard and soft metal is then commencedsimultaneously, the soft metal being poured through the central gate d,and the steel or hard metal through the gates c 0, until the mold isfull, when the movable part of the dreg, to which the inner halves ofthe cores are attached, is immediately turned by the handle E into theposition shown in Fig. 4, when the soft metal in the center and thesteel or hard metal around the outer portion of the mold will be broughttogether at the spaces left between the cores, and the sprues or riserse 6 being situated directly over those points the metals will be kept ina molten state until a perfect fusion or weld takes place.

By this means a wheel is produced which is provided with a hard-metaltread and a center of softer metal, which are perfectly fused or weldedtogether in the casting, without having any intervening substance, andwithout bringing the two metals into contact with each other until theyhave been entirely poured into the flask.

I claim-- The split cores D, one side of which is rigidly attached tothe fl ask, and the other adapted to revolve, substantially asdescribed.

' W. A. MILES.

Witnesses:

A. B. MALGOMSON, Jr., MAURICE ALSBERG.

